Two-Wheeled Grounded Flight

The thrill of your first bike ride; when the raining wheels come off and you stand for your own for the very first time. Albeit typically a very short trip it usually leaves a lasting impression. Your parents watching with a mixture of anxiety and pride as you struggle to keep upright on one of you first passages to adulthood. Your heart standing still and pounding out of control as you pedal your legs as hard as you dare while wobble becomes confidence. The pride and independence you feel with your newfound freedom is hard to forget. The thrill of mastering a rolling balancing act quickly replaces the agony of road rash.

There's little that can compare to your first taste of freedom. That is until you've been reborn astride a two-cylindered steed. The closest thing I've ever experienced to returning to the carefree bicycle riding days of my childhood is riding a hog upon the open road. The smell of sun burnt leather, the gleam of freshly polished chrome, the deep rumble of 1300 cc's of raw internal combustion power between your legs. The lure of a curvy road begging to be danced and the pure pleasure of flying down the highway in the open air with a full panoramic view spread out before you are hard to ignore and even harder to forget. Those that have experienced have a great deal of difficulty giving it up. With the skyrocketing cost of gasoline many are coming back.
For most responsible adults the childhood thrills are nothing more than memories for their scrapbooks. However the more daring still seek the rush. The adrenalin flows each and every time you twist the throttle and grab life by the horns. The ballet between man and machine as well as steel and asphalt is a performance motorcyclists can truly appreciate. Leaning into and out of turns brings with it a sense of satisfaction that just can't be duplicated on four-wheels-no matter how highly tuned. The rebels within believe they can have it all. The young at heart stubbornly refuse to grow-up, to drop fun for responsibility. They don't surrender to the world. They don't sell-out to "the man." They don't worry about conforming. They live for the joy of life and for spreading smiles as far and wide as possible.
Motorcycle riding isn't all fun and games. It does have its serious side. I'll admit riding among the barbarians behind the wheels of their four-wheeled jalopies definitely has its risks. A motorcycle rider

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